title: Floret-specific differences in gene expression and support for the hypothesis that tapetal degeneration of Zea mays L. occurs via programmed cell death.
abstract: The maize (Zea mays) spikelet consists of two florets, each of which contains three developmentally synchronized anthers. Morphologically, the anthers in the upper and lower florets proceed through apparently similar developmental programs. To test for global differences in gene expression and to identify genes that are coordinately regulated during maize anther development, RNA samples isolated from upper and lower floret anthers at six developmental stages were hybridized to cDNA microarrays. Approximately 9% of the tested genes exhibited statistically significant differences in expression between anthers in the upper and lower florets. This finding indicates that several basic biological processes are differentially regulated between upper and lower floret anthers, including metabolism, protein synthesis and signal transduction. Genes that are coordinately regulated across anther development were identified via cluster analysis. Analysis of these results identified stage-specific, early in development, late in development and bi-phasic expression profiles. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that four genes whose homologs in other plant species are involved in programmed cell death are up-regulated just prior to the time the tapetum begins to visibly degenerate (i.e., the mid-microspore stage). This finding supports the hypothesis that developmentally normal tapetal degeneration occurs via programmed cell death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA.
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Skibbe
authors.forename: Xiujuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Borsuk
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Ashlock
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nettleton
authors.forename: Patrick S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Schnable
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D035264:Flowers / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013997:Time Factors; D015854:Up-Regulation; D003313:Zea mays / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins